Jacquelyn Lynn, Business Writer, Ghostwriter

Email Marketing is Alive and Well!

All the buzz about social media has made some business owners question the value of email marketing. The fact is that email remains a powerful marketing tool—but like any marketing tool, it must be done well to produce results.

Email is the workhorse that can drive other campaigns, says Eric Kirby, CEO at Connection Engine. Mark Brownlow has some great stats on why you should be doing email marketing, but the short answer is this: It works.

But that doesn’t mean you should just start blasting out emails. These tips will help you create powerful, effective email marketing campaigns:

• Set measurable goals. Think about what you want to accomplish and articulate those goals and how you will know when you reach them. Don’t limit your email marketing goals to simply increasing sales. Use it to drive traffic to your website, increase brand recognition, build a mailing list, establish yourself as an expert, gain referrals, reach new markets, introduce new products, strengthen customer relationships, network, and more.

• Use reputable, dependable email campaign software or service. This is the easiest and most efficient way to produce attractive emails that are more likely to get past spam filters, opened, and read. I use Constant Contact for myself and for clients, and I wholeheartedly endorse their products, but there are plenty of other services out there that could do the job for you. Shop around—just don’t try to do it yourself.

• Brevity and clarity are critical. Studies show that most people scan email rather than read it carefully, so compose your message with that in mind. Put your call to action up front, use short paragraphs and lists, and don’t make people wonder why you’re sending this to them.

• Keep your design simple and graphics limited. Email is not print; don’t try to make your email look like a paper letter or your e-newsletter look like a print newsletter. Your design should showcase your message, not be the message. Too many graphics will make your email slow to open—and your graphics may not open at all. Remember that most email systems default to not displaying graphics and most people don’t bother to change those settings.

• Create high-quality content. Your information needs to have value for your readers. Equally important is that it be well-written, correctly punctuated, with proper grammar and no typos spelling errors. The best approach is for your subject matter experts to work in concert with professional writers and editors to produce your content.

Remember that people may not pay money to receive your emails, but it costs them time to read your messages, so give them something of value in exchange. Yes, it takes effort, thought, planning, and a financial investment, but the ROI is there.

Facebook Marketing Strategy

Should your business have a Facebook page? That's a question you have to decide based on the type of business and your particular market. Most companies can benefit from a Facebook page, but you need to set it up right.

A Facebook basic: Your profile is you as an individual; your page is your company. Your profile is where you connect with your friends; your page is where you build a fan base (where you get people to "like" you) of customers and potential customers.

I recently watched an excellent webinar by Joan Stewart (a/k/a The Publicity Hound), "12 Ways to Avoid Missed Opportunities on the New & Improved Facebook," and here's a great tip she shared:

Create a customized landing page for your company page. What this means is that when someone searches on your company on Facebook or clicks on a link to your page that you might put up somewhere, they will see that customized page instead of your wall. You can make your Facebook landing page look like a webpage; you can keep it simple (which is what I did) or make it elaborate (check out Diet Coke).

A customized landing page lets you include a call to action -- or even multiple calls to action. It's an opportunity to tell prospective customers what you want them to do, such as "like" your page, visit your website, or sign up for your newsletter. It lets you obtain email addresses for additional marketing efforts.

Be sure your Facebook landing page includes your branding and blends with your other marketing materials. When someone finds your company on Facebook, you want what they see to look familiar.

For more Facebook tips from Joan Stewart, you can purchase a recording of the webinar at "12 Ways to Avoid Missed Opportunities on the New & Improved Facebook." And if you need help with the copy on your Facebook landing page or help creating your posts, contact me.

 

Jacquelyn Lynn

 

Great Fatherly Advice from James Taylor

I grew up listening to and singing along with James Taylor and Carly Simon. In a recent interview, their son, Ben Taylor (who is currently on tour with his talented father), said this about getting into the music/entertainment business: “My dad let me know that it’s a blue-collar job, that the glamour of it is largely created by the media.”

I was struck by the spot-on accuracy of that remark. As a ghostwriter for people who are celebrities in the business world, I’m often involved in what goes on behind the scenes. I also frequently talk with my clients’ fans, and it’s clear to me that most of those fans have no idea how much work is involved in being the person on stage. The successful speakers/performers make it look absolutely effortless.

Years ago, a business seminar headlining speaker suggested to me that I might want to transition from ghostwriter to speaker myself. It’s something I’ve thought about, because I’m not shy, I’m comfortable on stage, and I love sharing what I know with people who want to learn. I’m a good workshop or small group speaker, especially when the environment encourages audience interaction. But I am first and foremost a writer — that’s what I love doing. I get to create my own schedule and can work in my own comfortable environment. My response to that speaker was: “I don’t want to do that – you guys have to work too hard.”

He was surprised, because the vast majority of the students in his seminars have visions of being the star on stage but really have no idea what’s required to get there. He said, “Are you just saying that, or do you really know what it takes?” I assured him I really knew.

In spite of the bright lights, expensive cars, and designer clothes, James Taylor nailed it: It’s a blue-collar job. It’s long days and late nights, lots of grueling travel, and missing a lot of special times at home. It’s studying and practicing. It’s countless hours of rehearsing and more rejection than the human ego is designed to take.

If you have dreams of being on stage (whether in a theater, convention hall, on television, in the movies, or elsewhere) as an entertainer, business leader, or whatever, I wish you all the best. Just be sure you go into it with your eyes open and your feet firmly on the ground, because you’ll be spending a lot more time back stage than on stage – and the spotlight can be a lonely place if you haven’t prepared for it.

And if you need books or articles written, I’m happy to help.

What is a Right to Work State?

As issues relating to unions, collective bargaining, and wages and benefits dominate the news, a term that is often misunderstood and misused is “right to work.” You will hear, for example, that Florida is a right to work state and New York is not. But what does that mean?

Very simply, a right to work state is one in which people have the right to be employed without being forced to join or pay dues to a labor union. The Taft-Hartley Act affirmed the right of states to enact right to work laws, and currently 22 states have such laws.

Right to work does not mean that unions are outlawed or that workers may not choose to join a union if they so desire. Further, right to work does not guarantee any individual a job—it’s not saying that any individual has the right to work and therefore the right to a job. It also does not mean that employers can ignore the terms of collective bargaining agreements they have in place with unions. Right to work means that employers cannot make union membership or payment of union dues a condition of employment.

It’s also important to not confuse the term “employment at will” with right to work. Employment at will means that an employer or employee can terminate the working relationship at any time for any reason, except for reasons that are specifically illegal, such as discrimination against a member of a protect class, or if the termination violates the company’s stated policies or an employment contract. Most states are employment at will states—even those that do not have right to work laws.

You can find excellent information about right to work laws at the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, Inc. Thomas W. Washburne and Paul Kersey wrote an excellent right to work FAQ, which was published by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.